Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #1Review

This is not a new concept. Daniel Way first introduced the idea of an Evil Deadpool back in issue #45 of the main Deadpool title (if you don’t count Widdle Wade), but the appearance lost its innovation quickly and was over before the character could blossom.

Cullen Bunn reboots the Evil Deadpool notion here, giving the malevolent version of Wade Wilson a new origin and new motivations. In contrast to Way’s slapstick-centric take on Evil Deadpool, this book embraces the horror of a maniacal Wade Wilson with both arms. Humor abounds, but the comedy doesn’t undermine the seriousness of the situation. It’s much closer to the gallows humor of the Joker (or the darkest periods of Joe Kelly’s flippantly murderous Deadpool). There’s a meanness to the character by the end of the issue that is both believable and frightening.

It does, however, take a little while to get into the mindset of the book, especially if people have been reading the main title. After rereading the issue, though, the choice to have The Watcher do the introduction creates a perfect open parenthesis for the story. On my first pass, however, I found it hard to shake the goofiness of the main title and to be open-minded about what was to come.

I didn’t expect the artwork, provided by Dalibor Talajic, to be especially helpful in selling the menace of the story, but it really is. The visuals of Reed and Sue Richards are difficult to handle, emotionally, and they mark the point at which the reader knows for certain that this is going to be a different kind of Deadpool book. Later, Talajic picks a great up-angle shot of Deadpool “signing” some papers that pushes the climax of the story into the readers’ long-term memory.

It’s distinctly possible that this series will fall into the same fight-driven plot structure as AvX: Vs; however, I prefer to believe that the eminently talented creators associated with the project will twist it into something layered and unique. The cover has an extra parental advisory, but, while there is a good deal of brutality, it’s not much more than you’d expect to see in your average Big 2 title (and probably far less than you’d find in a random action-based indie book). If you’re a Deadpool fan, and especially if you’re turned off by the main Deadpool book, pick up this issue. I’m thinking this one’s going to be a classic.